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Article ACCOUNT OF DRUIDISM. ← Page 3 of 6 →
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Account Of Druidism.
sources in the continent of Europe : however puzzled the doctor may be , he cannot look to the Gauls or the Germans for the solution of the difficulties he has started . He cannot say that we received Druidism from the East ( as is commonly said ) , through the medium of Germany and Gaul ; and hence account for those various similaritiessince he traces the birth of Druidism on this island itself ! . He has
undoubtedly simplified the question ; and he points our views through a very narrow vista to the East , or rather to Persia alone . He seems indeed to have insulated himself , and to have rejected the common succours . To account for these resemblances he mi g ht have recurred ,, had he not fixed the ori gin of Druidism in Britain to the continental tribes , whom he might have represented as bringing Druidism pure and uncorrupted from Asia over Europe , into this remote island ; he would , in this case , have followed the beaten track .
Dr . Borlase , - indeed , seems to be sensible that this beaten track ought to be abandoned . If he had followed it he would have wandered far from the truth : in the present case he is as near the truth as he possibl y could have been , without reaching it . . But see his poor , his wretched conclusion—after such a noble accumulation of facts—such a wei ght of circumstantial evidence as seems irresistiblesee his miserable subterfuge : " It has been hinted before , that , the
" Druids were , probably , obliged to Pythagoras for the doctrine of " the transmigration , and other particulars ; and there is no doubt " but he was learned in all the Magian relig ion : it was with this " Magian religion that the Druids maintained so great a uniformity . " 'Tis not improbable , then , that the Druids might have , drawn by " his hands out of the Persian fountains . " What can be more improbable than this ? That a single man , who , by travelling through a foreign country , had acquired some knowledge of its religion , should have been able , on his return from travel , to persuade a whole
priesthood , ivhose tenets were fixed , to embrace the doctrines and adopt the rites he recommended , is surely a most ridiculous position . Besides , were this admitted , would it account for the strength and exactness of these resemblances ? If Pythagoras introduced any ' of the Druidical secrets into Britain , it was , - ' I suppose ' ,. through his friend Abaris—for it does not appear that this sage ever travelled into Britain himself .. " Abaris" the doctor slylhints , " was very
, y " intimate with Pythagoras—so intimate , indeed ,, that he did not e ' scruple to communicate to him freely the real sentiments of his " heart . " And Abaris , it seems , paid a visit to the Danmonians . Here then all is Jjght . Pythagoras was fortunate enough , in a remote country , to dive into the hidden things of its inhabitants—to expiscate the profoundest of all secrets , the mysteries of relig ion . These
arcana , it seems , he imparted to Abaris , his bosom friend ; and Abaris very civilly communicated the whole to our Devonshire and Cornish priests . And our Devonshire and Cornish priests , with a versatility that shewed their sense of his politeness , new-modelled their religion on his plan . Hence the resemblance of the Druids and the Persians in a thousand different points . . . ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Account Of Druidism.
sources in the continent of Europe : however puzzled the doctor may be , he cannot look to the Gauls or the Germans for the solution of the difficulties he has started . He cannot say that we received Druidism from the East ( as is commonly said ) , through the medium of Germany and Gaul ; and hence account for those various similaritiessince he traces the birth of Druidism on this island itself ! . He has
undoubtedly simplified the question ; and he points our views through a very narrow vista to the East , or rather to Persia alone . He seems indeed to have insulated himself , and to have rejected the common succours . To account for these resemblances he mi g ht have recurred ,, had he not fixed the ori gin of Druidism in Britain to the continental tribes , whom he might have represented as bringing Druidism pure and uncorrupted from Asia over Europe , into this remote island ; he would , in this case , have followed the beaten track .
Dr . Borlase , - indeed , seems to be sensible that this beaten track ought to be abandoned . If he had followed it he would have wandered far from the truth : in the present case he is as near the truth as he possibl y could have been , without reaching it . . But see his poor , his wretched conclusion—after such a noble accumulation of facts—such a wei ght of circumstantial evidence as seems irresistiblesee his miserable subterfuge : " It has been hinted before , that , the
" Druids were , probably , obliged to Pythagoras for the doctrine of " the transmigration , and other particulars ; and there is no doubt " but he was learned in all the Magian relig ion : it was with this " Magian religion that the Druids maintained so great a uniformity . " 'Tis not improbable , then , that the Druids might have , drawn by " his hands out of the Persian fountains . " What can be more improbable than this ? That a single man , who , by travelling through a foreign country , had acquired some knowledge of its religion , should have been able , on his return from travel , to persuade a whole
priesthood , ivhose tenets were fixed , to embrace the doctrines and adopt the rites he recommended , is surely a most ridiculous position . Besides , were this admitted , would it account for the strength and exactness of these resemblances ? If Pythagoras introduced any ' of the Druidical secrets into Britain , it was , - ' I suppose ' ,. through his friend Abaris—for it does not appear that this sage ever travelled into Britain himself .. " Abaris" the doctor slylhints , " was very
, y " intimate with Pythagoras—so intimate , indeed ,, that he did not e ' scruple to communicate to him freely the real sentiments of his " heart . " And Abaris , it seems , paid a visit to the Danmonians . Here then all is Jjght . Pythagoras was fortunate enough , in a remote country , to dive into the hidden things of its inhabitants—to expiscate the profoundest of all secrets , the mysteries of relig ion . These
arcana , it seems , he imparted to Abaris , his bosom friend ; and Abaris very civilly communicated the whole to our Devonshire and Cornish priests . And our Devonshire and Cornish priests , with a versatility that shewed their sense of his politeness , new-modelled their religion on his plan . Hence the resemblance of the Druids and the Persians in a thousand different points . . . ,